The concept of "whole perforator system" in the lateral thoracic region for latissimus dorsi muscle-preserving large flaps: An anatomical study and case series.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous studies have reported on the abundant cutaneous perforating blood vessels around the latissimus dorsi (LD) lateral border, such as a thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) of septocutaneous type (TDAP-sc) and muscle-perforating type (TDAP-mp), or the lateral thoracic artery perforator (LTAP). These perforators have been clinically utilized for flap elevation; however, there have been few studies that accurately examined all the cutaneous perforators (TDAP-sc, TDAP-mp, LTAP) around the LD lateral border. Here, we propose a new "whole perforator system" (WPS) concept in the lateral thoracic region and a methodology that enables elevating large flaps with reliable perfusion in a muscle-preserving manner.

Methods

We first performed an anatomical study that ve

SUBMITTER: Kagaya Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8412279 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature